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The Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Solara is a 5 x 58 perfecto with a corojo wrapper over Dominican binder and filler, and Gurkha describes its tobacco as aged 18 years. Gurkha rates it medium in strength, and we sell it as singles.
14 in stock
Description
The Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Solara is a 5 x 58 perfecto from Gurkha’s Cellar Reserve Edición Especial, built on a corojo wrapper with Dominican binder and filler. The 18-year age comes from Gurkha, and we have not seen it independently confirmed.
What It Tastes Like
halfwheel reviewed pre-release Solara samples from the 2014 IPCPR show; the page shows no publish date, so we omit its score. Cocoa and graham cracker showed on the cold draw, followed by baking spice, raspberry and coffee bean once lit. Bread ruled the middle, and the close added lemon, leather, toast and scorched coffee. Overall the reviewer was torn, finding little complexity outside the cold draw and too many small construction issues to recommend buying on those samples.
Who It’s For
- Smokers who want a short, heavy-gauge perfecto rather than a straight-sided robusto.
- Gurkha fans wanting the 18 Year blend in a mid-length size.
- Fans of coffee and toasted-bread notes with about 90 minutes free.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Gurkha rates it medium despite the 58 ring gauge
- halfwheel’s reviewer found the final third the most enjoyable stretch
Cons
- That review flagged a tightening draw and uneven burns needing touch-ups
- The 18-year age claim rests on Gurkha’s word alone
About the Cellar Reserve 18 Year
halfwheel calls the original Cellar Reserve Gurkha’s first brick-and-mortar exclusive, while Cigar Coop counts it among the first three. Cigar Coop reported this corojo version was set to launch at the 2014 IPCPR show in Las Vegas, and halfwheel credits its rolling to the Dominican factory Tabacalera Las Lavas.
Pairing and Storage
Coffee shows up early and late in that review, so an espresso, or a bourbon for a medium smoke, from our cigar pairing guide is a sensible match.
Compare Similar Cigars
- Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Hedonism: the same 18-year blend stretched to 6 x 58, per Gurkha.
- Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Kraken XO: Gurkha lists the Kraken as the line’s 6 x 60 size.
- Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 Hedonism: the original Cellar Reserve, which Gurkha builds on a Criollo ’98 wrapper and 15-year Dominican filler.
Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Solara FAQ
How strong is the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Solara?
Gurkha’s spec sheet says medium. Retailers go higher, with Neptune saying full-bodied and Cigars International medium-full, while halfwheel’s reviewer felt it peak at medium-full midway.
What wrapper does the 18 Year Solara use?
A corojo wrapper, according to Gurkha, halfwheel and Cigar Coop. The original 15-year Cellar Reserve uses Dominican Criollo ’98 instead.
Has anyone confirmed the 18-year age?
That is Gurkha’s claim, and we have not seen it independently verified. Gurkha’s site lists 18-year Dominican filler and quotes Kaizad Hansotia on a corojo wrapper aged 18 years; Cigar Coop’s report named the binder as 18 years old too, and halfwheel’s reviewer doubted the claim.
How long does the Solara take to smoke?
halfwheel’s reviewer reported roughly an hour and a half per cigar for this 5 x 58 size.
Find the Solara’s stablemates on our Gurkha cigars page, where the rest of the Cellar Reserve family is listed.
Additional information
| Packaging Type | Single |
|---|---|
| Strength | Medium |
| Origin | |
| Wrapper | Corojo |
| Binder | Dominican Republic |
| Filler | Dominican Republic |
| Length | 5" |
| Gauge | 58 |
